Esfahan nesf-e jahan. Esfahan is half the world. That’s the old adage you’ll hear thrown around within minutes of entering Iran’s cultural hub–the treasure-filled, but surprisingly modernized city of Esfahan. Like Samarkand in Uzbekistan, Esfahan is more than a historic city, it is a commercial hub and one of the largest cities in the country. …
tour
Nine Things to See in Yazd
The city of Yazd: nearly as ancient as the desert which surrounds it, rich and timeless. There is a great deal to do there; here are some recommendations of things to see in Yazd! Masjed-e Jameh Yazd’s main mosque is visible from all over the Old City–provided one can get a view of the sky …
Yazd: City of Fire and Silence
Though it is there they worship fire, the first thing we encountered was the silence. Two dusty hills rise outside of Yazd, each crowned with a ringed wall of crumbling stone–as old as memory. This place is the cradle of Zoroastrianism, the ancient monotheistic religion of Persia. A footpath snaked its way up a steep incline; the sand was dry …
The Rooftops of Abarkooh
Our group stopped in Abarkooh on our way from Eghlid to the caravan-serai at Zein-o-din. From the description, it didn’t sound like much. According to our trip notes: “Abarkooh is (a historical town) located in the desert valley beneath the Zagros Mountains.” Things we would see there? An ice house and an old mansion. After exploring …
Six Things to See in Shiraz
Many people, myself included, associate the name ‘Shiraz‘ with the wine. I think of vineyards and rolling hills. I guess I think of a Persian Tuscany. That’s not too accurate. Shiraz is no Tuscany, it is its own place. It is a place of poets, a lush oasis in the desert, and a thriving city …
Carpet Weaving in Khiva
As I mentioned in my first post about Khiva, a large part of the reason I decided to go there was Christopher Alexander’s excellent book on the UNESCO sponsored carpet weaving workshop he helped set up there. He spent seven years in the city, most of which were spent at the workshop. Throughout the book, readers …
Gobi Tour: Part Two
So that last post was kind of a beast. This next one won’t be nearly as long. That’s mainly because we went through the rest of the tour at a more leisurely pace than those first two days. It’s also because I didn’t keep very good notes about what happened each day, so I’m having …
Gobi Tour: Part One
This may have been the most difficult entry for me to write, not because of the subject, but because of the environment I’m writing in. I am back home in Washington state, my travels (for now) ceased. There’s something about being back home that seems to suck the inspiration away, the desire to reminisce about …
Living with Nomads in Terelj National Park
The past week has been many things for me. Through an organization called Ger to Ger – an eco-travel agency based out of Ulaanbaatar that focuses on interacting and living with local nomads – I booked a 7 day, 6 night tour through the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. During the course of the week I was …
Angkor Wat: the Mini Tour
The past few days, I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to explore the Angkor archeological area. The complex is massive, dotted with ruins of temples and the like; all tucked into the folds of the enveloping jungle. A good portion of the ruins can be explored by following one of two ‘tours’: the Mini …